Department for Transport

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, cols 1067–8), how long the pause is expected to last before the Midland Main Line railway route is electrified.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Electrification of the Midland Main Line is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter's Hendy's proposals for replanning the enhancements programme.

Railways: North of England

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, cols 1067–8), how long the pause is expected to last before the TransPennine rail line is electrified.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Electrification of the TransPennine line east of Stalybridge is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter Hendy's re-planning proposals this autumn.

Railways: North of England

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their policy to pause rail electrification was not reflected in the debate in the House on 17 June on transport in the north of England in the context of the Minister's comment on the relationship between electrification and Government's northern powerhouse aspirations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The delay to Transpennine electrification was already known, and therefore I didn’t specifically mention the delay in my opening. As it was in the public domain, several Lords referenced the delay in their speeches. I acknowledged the concerns about the delay in my closing speech and have written to the Lords in more detail to address their concerns.

Railways: North of England

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, col 1068) about Network Rail in respect of the trans-Pennine route that "current work on electrification will be paused because we need to be much more ambitious for that route" , whether their plans for electrification are to be combined with their ambitions for High Speed 3; and, if so, when they expect electrification to take place.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Electrification of the NorthTranspennine line east of Stalybridge is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter Hendy's re-planning proposals this autumn. This is a pause, not a stop, to ensure that it happens at the right time to deliver the most benefit. The government’s enhancements programme is ambitious and stretching and it needs to be re-planned to ensure it remains deliverable and affordable. The replan should take into consideration the plans for the Northern Powerhouse / TransNorth to ensure that we are delivering the best solution overall.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax Benefits

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 November 2014 (HL2301) and 9 March 2015 (HL5056), whether they will now publish the detailed terms of reference for the independent review of the impact of the abolition of Council Tax Benefit; and who has been appointed to undertake that review.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The timetable, coverage, process for data collection and detailed terms of reference for the review will be agreed and published in due course.

Homelessness: Young People

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research Estimating the scale of youth homelessness in the UK; and what steps they are taking to increase young people's access to affordable housing.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government remains committed to preventing youth homelessness and notes with interest the research that improves understanding of the issue. We are taking specific action in England to support young homeless people into stable accommodation, education and employment.  We have invested £14 million to enable Crisis to support 10,000 vulnerable single people into privately rented tenancies,of which 41 projects are specifically targeted at young people. Our Fair Chance Fund payment by results scheme aims to support 1,600 vulnerable homeless 18-25 year olds into accommodation, education and employment, backed by £15 million. In addition, £40 million is being shared among Platform for Life, a low rent shared accommodation programme to help young homeless people with low needs have a stable base for work and study; and the Homelessness Change Programme, to improve the physical and mental health outcomes for rough sleepers. We have also implemented the ‘Youth Accommodation Pathway’, a delivery model that supports young people to remain in the family home where it is safe to do so and offers tailored support for those who cannot.  Alongside this, nearly 186,000 affordable homes were delivered between 2011 to 2015 exceeding target by almost 16,000. This Government will ensure 275,000 new affordable homes are delivered between 2015 and 2020.

Housing: Fires

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to reduce the number of elderly people involved in domestic fires, and what consideration they have given to the case for awareness campaigns for older people on domestic electrical safety.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Department’s Fire Kills campaign, run in close partnership with fire and rescue authorities, promotes a range of fire safety messages to the public and especially to those most vulnerable to fire, including older people. Although accidental fire deaths in the home in 2013/14 were at an historic low level, over half of fatalities were aged 65 or over.Recent campaigns have targeted older people, as well as encouraged others to look out for the safety of older neighbours, friends and family. Fire Kills and Electrical Safety First have a longstanding and close partnership to promote electrical fire safety messages, including through the annual Electrical Fire Safety Week, which runs in November each year. The Department continues to explore with other relevant agencies how to expand this element of the Fire Kills programmeIn addition, the Department is funding the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop with the Chief Fire Officers’ Association an e-learning tool for GPs to help them consider the risk from fire to their patients. This will help GPs to better identify those at particular risk from fire and to refer them to the local fire and rescue service for tailored fire safety advice, and, if necessary, equipment.We very much welcome the Chief Fire Officers’ Association current work with NHS England and on behalf of fire and rescue authorities in England which is designed to improve the availability of data about those aged 65 and over and support a more targeted local approach.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Conflict Prevention

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent events in Tunisia, what re-appraisal they have made of their strategy to take on board the lessons of the Arab spring, set out in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy, with regard to (1) early warning, (2) rapid crisis prevention and response, and (3) investing in upstream prevention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Early warning systems and policies aimed at building stability overseas are continually under review to enable the British Government to respond more rapidly and more effectively to new cases of conflict and instability.Upstream prevention remains at the heart of the Government’s approach to fragile and unstable countries and regions. UK conflict funding for 2015/16 for the Middle East / North Africa region was increased substantially to respond to conflict drivers in the region.Government work in the Middle East and North Africa includes programmes on countering violent extremism, strengthening border management, and improving the effectiveness of our partner’s domestic counter-terrorism work.

Conflict Prevention

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes they have made to their list of prioritised countries where (1) risks were perceived to be high, (2) United Kingdom interests were most at stake, and (3) it was known the United Kingdom could have most impact, since the Building Stability Overseas Strategy was published in July 2011.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There have been many changes since the establishment of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy in 2010 as the process of determining priorities is dynamic to reflect global realities.The National Security Council has agreed a range of country and regional strategies, and annually agrees funding allocations under the Conflict Stability and Security Fund.This prioritisation process takes into account risks of instability, UK interests and the potential impact of activities. Beyond the annual exercise, allocations and priority countries are continually under review to enable the Government to respond more effectively to new cases of conflict and instability.

Russia: Baltic States

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the Russian Prosecutor General's office, following a request by members of the Russian Parliament, to examine whether the Soviet Union acted legally when it recognised the Baltic states' independence in 1991.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the request made by two members of the Russian Parliament that this matter be examined, and understand that the Russian Prosecutor-General's office is obliged to do so. We do not assess that there will be any practical consequences of this process; the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is clearly established. The UK never recognised the annexation of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union.

NATO

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 remain priority work areas for the United Kingdom delegation to NATO.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has successfully ensured the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) and UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 is firmly on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agenda with broad support from other NATO Allies. Earlier this year, our efforts helped create detailed NATO guidelines on the prevention of and response to conflict related sexual and gender based violence. These guidelines will be integrated into the education, training, operational planning, conduct of operations and evaluation of NATO led operations, as appropriate. Their overall aim is to reduce the risk of conflict related sexual violence and improve response measures that take protection needs into consideration. We support the work of the NATO Special Representative on Women, Peace and Security in implementing the NATO Policy and Action Plan. We will continue to take opportunities to promote PSVI and UNSCR 1325 in NATO as and when they arise.

Gibraltar: Spain

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations have been made to the government of Spain since 1 June regarding infringements of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: From 1 June to 8 July, the British Government has sent five diplomatic protests by Note Verbale to the Government of Spain concerning 55 unlawful incursions by Spanish State vessels into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. On 3 July, the Government protested at a senior level in Madrid following the unlawful incursion by a Spanish survey vessel, which struck a Royal Navy vessel with its probe. This incursion was also protested by Note Verbale.

Saudi Arabia: Nuclear Power

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 3 July (HL718), whether they intend to apply the same conditions under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) framework to Saudi Arabia as those applied to Iran, which is also a signatory of the NPT.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: All non-nuclear weapon States party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have an obligation not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, and to enter into a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enable international verification of the fulfilment of this obligation. The UK continues to encourage all those States that have not yet done so to bring into force an Additional Protocol to their Safeguards Agreement to give the IAEA additional information on their nuclear programmes and expanded powers of access to their nuclear activities.

Africa: Refugees

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 17 June (HL214), what was the outcome of the meetings to discuss irregular migration at the African Union Summit in June.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: At the African Union (AU) Summit in June the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), discussed tackling irregular migration with a number of African ministers as well as the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security. He made clear our desire to work with African partners on a comprehensive solution to the migration crisis. The Summit Declaration reaffirmed the commitment by African governments to addressing irregular migration, including combating human trafficking and people smuggling.The British Government will now work closely with EU and AU partners ahead of the Valletta Summit in November to develop proposals for action to disrupt smuggling and trafficking networks; strengthen cooperation on returns; and address the root causes of migration.

China: Religious Freedom

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of suffering within the Uyghur communities and the pressure put on Muslims in China during the month of Ramadan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Although freedom of religion or belief is guaranteed under the Chinese constitution, we remain concerned about restrictions to this right. We continue to be concerned about the treatment of Muslims, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in particular, including restrictions on the celebration of Ramadan and Islamic dress. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese authorities.China is bound, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to respect the international commitments to which it is a party, including those related to freedom of religion or belief. Freedom of religion or belief remains one of this Government’s core human rights priorities and we continue to support its development globally.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat assessment they have made of the involvement of British Libyans in the overthrowing of Colonel Gaddafi’s government; and if so, how many were involved; and how many of them were prosecuted.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made any assessment of involvement of British Libyans in the overthrowing of Colonel Gaddaffi.

Gibraltar: Spain

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a probe dropped by a Spanish survey vessel acting illegally in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters hit a Royal Navy patrol vessel on 3 July; and if so, what action they plan to take, in the light of reports that there were 173 incursions by Spanish vessels into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters in June.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I can confirm that during an unlawful incursion by a Spanish State survey vessel into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) on 3 July, the vessel’s probe struck a Royal Navy vessel as it deployed. The British Government protested immediately to the Spanish government at a senior level, making clear that it was unacceptable. It was fortunate that no-one was hurt and no serious damage was done. As I made clear in my answer to HL1104, there have been 55 unlawful incursions from 1 June to 8 July. We protested these through 5 diplomatic notes.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 3 July (HL710), what progress has been made in discussions with the Israeli Defence Force Military Advocate General about ensuring accountability for the killing of four Palestinian children on the beach in Gaza in July 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue since 17 June when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv met the Israeli Military Advocate General during which this incident was discussed. We note Israel's Military Advocate General's decision to close the Investigation File for this incident.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the recent report that private land intended to be used for buffer zones is being used for Israeli land reserves and settlement agriculture.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised the specific report referred to, the British Government has repeatedly condemned settlement announcements, and we will continue to call on the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building as required under international law.Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of settlements with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 16 June, and again with the Israeli Cabinet Secretary and National Security Advisor on the 21 June.

Gaza: Islamic State

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the governments of Egypt and Israel regarding the activity of ISIL in Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has a regular dialogue with Egypt and Israel on the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the region. The most recent discussions were with senior officials in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council on 2 July. During these meetings, activities of groups identifying with ISIL in Gaza were discussed, as well as their alleged collusion with Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis in the Sinai area.

Middle East and North Africa: Foreign Investment

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions, if any, they are having with the governments of Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia about increasing the flow of inward investment to those countries, and in particular about the possible positive influence of investment guarantees and assurances about the repatriation of profits.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have regular discussions with all three countries over the importance of increasing inward investment into their economies, and strengthening the business environment. In Lebanon, the UK funded ‘Tech Hub’ is helping to attract greater investment in the knowledge and technology sector. In Jordan, we are working with the government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on a range of projects to help improve the business environment. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the importance of creating the right conditions for foreign investment in Tunisia during his visit in May. The Tunisian government is currently drafting a new investment code, and the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement signed between our two countries in 1989 remains in force.Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan all provide assurances about repatriation of profits.

Tunisia: Terrorism

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how the United Kingdom can help Tunisia prevent the flow of militants and terrorists from Libya to Tunisia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is working closely with the Tunisian government and international partners to strengthen Tunisia’s border with Libya. We are planning to deliver border security training to Tunisian Forces on the Libyan border later this year. We have also funded community engagement programmes to improve the Tunisian security forces’ engagement with border communities to help reduce illegal border crossings. The UK is working with the Tunisians and international partners on what more we can do to support Tunisia in the aftermath of the Sousse attack.

Turkey: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 July (HL987), whether they plan to make representations to the government of Turkey specifically about the use of water cannon and tear gas on participants of gay pride celebrations in Istanbul on 28 June; if so, what representations they will make and when; and if not, why not.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We raised the use of water cannon and tear gas during the 28 June Gay Pride March in Istanbul in discussions with the Turkish Embassy in London on 9 July. Our Consul General in Istanbul attended the Gay Pride March on 28 June and tweeted live comments and pictures of the event.We regularly discuss human rights with the Government of Turkey and encourage the Turkish authorities to respond proportionately to public gatherings in line with its European Convention on Human Rights obligations and other human rights commitments.

Egypt: Capital Punishment

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt about the number of death sentences issued in that country since July 2013; and what responses, if any, they have received.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is the long-standing policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. We have regularly raised our concerns about the death sentences issued in Egypt at both Ministerial and official level. On 17 May the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised our concerns with the Egyptian Ambassador in London over the sentencing to death of former President Morsi and more than 100 others, and made a press statement on the matter. On 2 April the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised his strong concern with the Egyptian Foreign Minister over death sentences imposed on 529 people, and on 28 April he made a press statement expressing deep concern that a further 683 people had been sentenced to death by the same court. In May the Foreign Secretary raised his concerns again with the Egyptian Foreign Minister in London.In our conversations with the Egyptian government we have emphasised that it is vital that any judicial decisions are objective, transparent and in accordance with the law. We are aware that there are further stages in the legal processes and that retrials have been ordered in some of the cases. We continue to follow these cases closely and remain in contact with the Egyptian authorities.

Bahrain: Military Bases

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether basing United Kingdom warships in Bahrain is compatible with that country's human rights record.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has had a naval presence in Bahrain since the 1950s which has supported naval patrols operating in and around the Gulf. Under a new arrangement signed in December 2014 by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the UK and Bahrain agreed to working together to enhance the existing facilities at the port. This arrangement is fully in accordance with the UK's international human rights obligations, which the Government takes extremely seriously.The UK greatly values its partnership with Bahrain on regional security issues, which forms an important part of our wider bilateral relationship with the Government of Bahrain. In addition, we are providing a range of technical assistance to support the Government of Bahrain in its reform programme, aimed at strengthening human rights and the rule of law.

Greece: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of British tourists visiting Greece each year.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We estimate that there are approximately two million British visitors to Greece each year.

Raif Badawi

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 11 June (HL Deb, col 890), what evidence they have regarding the level of popular support in Saudi Arabia for the sentence passed on Raif Badawi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is clear from social media that there is considerable, though not universal, support in Saudi Arabia for the sentence imposed on Raif Badawi. More broadly, a substantial proportion of the Saudi population hold conservative views and support the implementation of Shariah law. We continue to raise our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities about Raif Badawi’s case and wider human rights issues.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Regulation

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what data they used to estimate the announced savings of £10 billion for businesses over the last four years as a result of cutting red tape.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Ninth Statement of New Regulation, published December 2014, lists all regulation and deregulation in scope of One-in, One-out and One-in, Two-out. These are the measures used in the analysis of net savings for business. They add up to £2.2bn annual ongoing savings, or £10bn when measured cumulatively over the Parliament.The calculations for the value of each individual measure is set out in the published Impact Assessment associated with that measure, and validated by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee.

Regulation

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what savings have been made by efforts to reduce the cost of regulation over the last Parliament, broken down by each specific regulation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Ninth Statement of New Regulation, published December 2014, lists all regulation and deregulation in scope of One-in, One-out and One-in, Two-out. These are the measures used in the analysis of net savings for business. They add up to £2.2bn annual ongoing savings, or £10bn when measured cumulatively over the Parliament.. The calculations for the value of each individual measure is set out in the published Impact Assessment associated with that measure, and validated by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee.

Regulation

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which regulations they included in their analysis of reducing the costs of regulation over the last Parliament.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Ninth Statement of New Regulation, published December 2014, lists all regulation and deregulation in scope of One-in, One-out and One-in, Two-out. These are the measures used in the analysis of net savings for business. They add up to £2.2bn annual ongoing savings, or £10bn when measured cumulatively over the Parliament.  The calculations for the value of each individual measure is set out in the published Impact Assessment associated with that measure, and validated by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee.

Regulation

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the internal process for calculating regulatory savings; and which individuals, by job title, are involved.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: For each new regulation or deregulation, the costs and savings to business are calculated and presented in the form of an Impact Assessment. These are completed by policy officials within each Department, working with government economists.   Each Impact Assessment is scrutinised by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee, who are responsible for validating the assessment of the costs and savings to business. Further information on the Committee can be found on the gov.uk website.

Department for International Development

Conflict Prevention

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of development aid was spent on the Building Stability Overseas Strategy in 2014–15.

Baroness Verma: UK development assistance contributes to delivering the Building Stability Overseas Strategy by tackling the short and long-term drivers of instability, supporting stronger and more legitimate institutions and societies, helping to meet basic needs and create opportunities for social and economic development for all, including women and girls. In 2013, 43% of UK Official Development Assistance was spent in Fragile and Conflict Affected States (FCAS), where the need to build stability is most pressing. Examples of DFID programmes: · In Nigeria, the Stability and Reconciliation Programme (£38m, 2011-2016), aims to reduce incidence and impact of violent conflict. · DFID’s support to the multi-donor Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) (£256.8m 2014-17) helps the Afghan government to provide basic services, and thus improve confidence in its ability to meet Afghan people’s expectations.

Burma: Internally Displaced People

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UN and international aid agencies face any restrictions by the government of Burma in delivering aid to internally displaced people in areas of Burma not under government control.

Baroness Verma: UN and international agencies have reported restrictions on delivering aid to internally displaced people in areas of Burma not under government control in Kachin State. Aid is reaching those in need and the UK is one of the largest donors having allocated over £17 million for humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Kachin and Northern Shan States, including in non-government controlled areas since 2012. The UK regularly presses the government on the need to ensure aid reaches those in need. On 8-11 June a DFID team visited Kachin, including non-government controlled areas and raised humanitarian access with the Chief Minister for Kachin.

Females: Equality

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are following up the Girl Summit 2014 in order to counter early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation; and how they plan to ensure that there is continued global momentum on those issues.

Baroness Verma: We are delighted that the Girl Summit has accelerated international momentum on ending FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage. We have already seen follow-up events take place in Uganda, Bangladesh and Ethiopia and the African Union plan to host a Girl Summit later this year. Since the 2014 Girl Summit, the Department for International Development has focused on delivering the UK Government’s commitment to supporting an end to FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage globally, through its £35million programme on ending FGM and the recently launched £36million programme to accelerate action to end Child marriage.  Domestically, a number of measures have been taken to strengthen the law on FGM through the Serious Crime Act, £1.6million has been committed for the next stage of the Department of Health’s FGM prevention programme, and an FGM Unit has been established and commenced a programme of outreach.

Bangladesh: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that pledges made at the Girl Summit 2014 by other countries, and in particular Bangladesh, are being met.

Baroness Verma: The Girl Summit, co-hosted with UNICEF in London in July 2014, secured over 180 commitments, including 43 governments. We are working with UNICEF to follow up with governments and other participants on progress since the Summit. A summary of these achievements will be available for the anniversary of the Summit. Over the last year the UK Government has also been working with UN partners, civil society and national Governments, including the Government of Bangladesh, to support countries to implement these commitments. Bangladesh held its own Girl Summit in October 2014, are making legal revisions to the 1929 Child Marriage Restraint Act and finalising the National Plan of Action for Ending Child Marriage.

Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish their assessment of the impact on universities and schools of the new guidance for postgraduate teacher training issued by the National College of Teaching and Leadership.

Lord Nash: The recruitment control numbers for postgraduate initial teacher training will be published by the National College for Teaching and Leadership before the UCAS teacher training portal opens for applications.

Primary Education: Assessments

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they plan to include in the baseline assessment of children starting primary school being trialled in September.

Lord Nash: The reception baseline is designed to assess children’s knowledge and understanding in areas typical for children at the start of reception, such as recognising letters and counting numbers.   The final list of three approved reception baselines was published on 1 July 2015. The approved baselines offer different approaches, formats and styles, including computer-based assessments and teacher assessments similar to that already used by teachers and early years practitioners. Schools are able to choose their preferred reception baseline, with first use in September 2015.   The reception baseline is being introduced to support a new progress measure for accountability purposes. It will capture the starting point from which progress will be measured up to a child’s key stage 2 results. This approach would enable us, from 2022, to recognise the excellent work of schools in the first three years of a child’s time at school, as the reception baseline will help schools to show the progress pupils make from the moment they start school.   In the autumn term of 2015/16 we will be conducting both a comparability study of the three reception baselines and a quality assurance study to help inform future decision-making about the reception baseline.

Ministry of Justice

Homosexuality: Convictions

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Conservative Party manifesto pledges to introduce legislation to pardon those men, now deceased, who were historically convicted of gross indecency even though they would be innocent of any crime today, whether they intend such legislation to extend a pardon to those men similarly convicted but still living who may apply for a "disregard" under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, and if not, why not; and whether they accept that there is a difference between a "pardon" and a "disregard", and if so, what it is.

Lord Faulks: The Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to introduce a new law to pardon those who suffered from convictions similar to Alan Turing’s, and who cannot correct the injustice themselves through the “disregard” process. Details of the policy have not yet been formulated and Ministers will be discussing their plans and making announcements in due course There is a clear difference between a pardon and a disregard. A pardon is legally neutral in effect and does not affect any conviction, caution or sentence, though it may remove the ”pains and penalties” which resulted from these. The effect of a disregard is that all successful applicants will be treated “for all purposes in law” as though the conviction had never occurred and need not disclose it for any purpose. Official records relating to the conviction held by prescribed organisations will be deleted or, where appropriate, annotated to this effect as soon as possible after the grant of a disregard.

Ministry of Defence

Middle East: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of civilian casualties resulting from Allied bombing of ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria.

Earl Howe: We are not aware of any incidents of civilian casualties as a result of UK strike activity over Iraq. Our overriding concern in conducting such strikes is to protect innocent civilians from the terrorists we would wish to target. Therefore, we take every possible measure to avoid any civilian casualties. If at any time civilian casualties were thought to have occurred, any estimates of numbers would be a matter for the coalition.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have paid compensation to the next of kin of the Afghan interpreters killed, or to those who were disabled, while working for the United Kingdom armed forces in Afghanistan.

Earl Howe: We are grateful to all locally-employed staff working for the United Kingdom Armed Forces who have contributed to the success of our operations in Afghanistan. There are arrangements in place to compensate all those who have suffered significant injury during the course of their employment and the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and whilst working with us in Afghanistan.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Wildlife

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to set up a commission or expert committee to consider all aspects of the re-wilding of parts of the United Kingdom with former indigenous species.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There are no plans to set up an expert body or group to look specifically at the re-introduction of former native species in England.   Natural England considers individual applications for licences to reintroduce formerly native species in England. Such matters in the rest of the UK are for the devolved authorities to consider.

Food: Procurement

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage companies based in the United Kingdom to source produce from local suppliers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Decisions about food sourcing must be taken by individual businesses. However, last year the Government published the ‘Plan for Public Procurement of Food and Catering Services’, through which the public sector demonstrates leadership in the better procurement of local and sustainable food. The Plan also helps suppliers of British grown and processed produce to take advantage of opportunities to supply the public sector. Several companies are adopting this approach across their wider operations.   In addition, we are putting in place an ambitious 25 year plan to promote and grow our world-leading food and farming industry, encouraging enterprise and boosting productivity at each stage of the food chain.

Agriculture

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic value of the agricultural sector to the economy; and how many jobs it provides.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In 2014 the contribution to the economy of UK agriculture, as measured by gross value added at basic price, was £9.2 billion.   The number of people employed on agricultural holdings in the UK on 1st June 2014 was 181,000. This includes salaried managers, regular and casual workers.   An additional 294,000 self-employed principal farmers also worked on agricultural holdings in the UK, giving a total of 476,000 or 1.43% of the total UK workforce.   Table 1: The number of people working on farms in the UK June 2014Number of people ('000 head)Salaried managers, regular and casual workers181Principal farmers, partners, directors and spouses294Total number of people working on farms476

Food: Waste

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to increase infrastructure and research to stop food waste in the United Kingdom and in developing countries.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government is working with food manufacturers and retailers in the UK to meet targets to reduce food waste from households and the grocery supply chain under the Courtauld Commitment. There has been a 15% (1.3 million tonnes) reduction in household food waste since 2007 and signatories reported a reduction of 7.4% in food supply chain waste between 2010 and 2012. The third phase of the Courtauld Commitment targets a further 1.1 million tonnes of food and packaging waste reduction by the end of this year.   The Love Food Hate Waste programme helps UK households to reduce food waste and save money through awareness raising and consumer advice. There is also an agreement with the hospitality sector with targets to prevent and manage food waste in restaurants, pubs and canteens. All of WRAP’s work is informed by extensive research into the quantities and drivers of food waste within these key sectors.   The UK is supporting the work of the G20 to reduce food losses and waste (FLW) in developed and developing countries, including the development of an Action Plan on Food Security and Sustainable Food Systems. As a part of this initiative, the UK supports the action on international organisations (led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Food Policy Research Institute) to set up a technical platform which will build on existing activities to promote sharing of knowledge and best practice, and seek to better coordinate actions by international organisations to reduce FLW in developing countries.

Home Office

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether new immigration rules will exacerbate the shortage of nurses in the United Kingdom and cost the NHS tens of millions in recruitment.

Lord Bates: The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. The impact assessment is available on the gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.The Department of Health take the issue of nursing recruitment seriously and have prioritised and invested in front-line staff, so there are over 8,600 more nurses on NHS wards than there were in 2010. Health Education England’s workforce plan for England for 2015-16 forecasts that, following further increases in the number of training commissions, the proposed levels for nurse training will deliver over 23,000 more nurses by 2019.



Copy of Impact assessment
(PDF Document, 285.73 KB)

British Nationality: English Language

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 June (HL705), how many organisations tendered in the competitive procurement exercise that secured two Concession Service Providers of English language testing in the United Kingdom, and one overseas.

Lord Bates: Four organisations tendered for the Secure English Language Testing competitive procurement exercise.

Immigrants: Detainees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether immigration detention is an area where they could make savings.

Lord Bates: Home Office expenditure is kept under constant review. Savings are already being made from the detention estate, by using competition to achieve best value for money and quality of custodial services.

Refugees: Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to inform Syrian refugees with relatives in the United Kingdom about the possibility of applying for admission to the United Kingdom for family reunion.

Lord Bates: Recognised refugees and those granted Humanitarian Protection in the UK are advised about family reunion provisions as part of the information they receive with the decision on their asylum claim. Details on how to apply are also available on Gov.uk. The UK also operates the Mandate refugee scheme which provides a resettlement route for individual refugees who have been recognised by UNHCR and have close family ties with the UK. The UK is only able to consider resettlement applications from refugees who have been referred to us by UNHCR.

Cybercrime

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that police forces are properly trained to respond to cybercrime.

Lord Bates: Cyber attacks, including cyber crime, are a Tier One threat to national security, and the Government is investing £860 million over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) to respond. Of this, over 10% is being invested in building law enforcement capabilities to tackle cyber crime. This has been used to build capability at the national, regional, and local level. NCSP funding is being used to train officers in the National Cyber Crime Unit within the National Crime Agency (NCA), and cyber teams within each of the Regional Organised Crime Units so that officers are able to investigate the most serious cases of cyber crime. Over 3,500 NCA officers have completed Digital Awareness training, as part of equipping the next generation of highly skilled digital detectives.We are also delivering training in cyber crime to officers in local police forces. The College of Policing has designed four training modules on cyber crime aimed at police officers and staff, on cyber, digital and social media. Since they were rolled out in 2013, over 150,000 of these modules have been completed. The College and police forces have also been delivering a classroom-based course to police investigators, which gives them the understanding of how to exploit intelligence and evidential opportunities offered by technology, social networking and communications data.

Home Office: Public Appointments

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies by the Home Office.

Lord Bates: Listed below are current chair appointments to non-departmental public bodies made by the Home Office and announced in line with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments (April 2012):William (Bill) Griffths – Disclosure and Barring ServiceMargaret Beels – Gangmasters Licensing AuthorityChristopher Spencer – Independent Family Returns PanelProfessor Sir David Metcalf – Migration Advisory CommitteeElizabeth France – Security Industry AuthorityProfessor Leslie Iverson – Advisory Council on the Misuse of DrugsJohn Landers – Animals in Science Committee Professor Dame Shirley Pearce – College of PolicingDame Ann Owers – Independent Police Complaints CommissionChris Hughes – National DNA Database Ethics GroupDavid Lebrecht – Police and National Crime Agency Remuneration Review BodyJonathan Hoyle – Technical Advisory BoardHome Office public appointments are usually announced via the department’s GOV.UK website or, in some instances, via the appointing body’s website

HM Treasury

European Central Bank

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much exposure the European Central Bank has to Greece; and what is the current value of its equity and reserves.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The European Central Bank’s (ECB) exposure to Greece is limited: approximately €27 billion of Greece’s estimated €317 billion debt is owed to the European Central Bank.   In January 2015, the capital of the ECB coming from the national central banks of all EU Member States (i.e. its equity) amounted to €10.8 billion.   In May 2015, the ECB’s reserve assets and other foreign currency assets amounted to €68.8 billion Euros.

Regulation

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the role of the Office for Budget Responsibility is in verifying claims on regulatory savings.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Office for Budget Responsibility has no role in verifying claims on regulatory savings. Under the provisions of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act, the Government will publish a target in respect of the economic impact on business activities of qualifying regulatory provisions which come into force or cease to be in force during the Parliament.

Living Wage

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to provide tax incentives to firms and employers paying the living wage to all their workers.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society. As the Chancellor announced at the Summer Budget, a new National Living Wage (NLW) will be introduced from April 2016. This will apply to all people over the age of 25, and will directly benefit 2¾ million people.   At the same time, the government is increasing the employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) employment allowance from £2000 to £3000. This will reduce the costs of employment for businesses and charities and will mean that a business can employ four people full time on NLW and pay no employer NICs.

Cabinet Office

Sovereignty: Scotland

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 29 June (HL523), why they have ruled out holding a referendum in England on the maintenance of the union with Scotland; whether they have any plans to review their policy; and if so, when.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government will do it all it can to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom, and the institutions which underpin it. While no part of the UK should be forced to remain in or leave the UK against its wishes, in last year's referendum people in Scotland voted to remain in the UK and both the UK and Scottish Governments have committed to respect the result in the Edinburgh Agreement. Therefore we have no plans to hold another referendum on this issue.

Electoral Register

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to increase electoral registration across the United Kingdom.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Over £14 million has been invested over the last two financial years to support activities aimed at increasing the levels of voter registration, including in the run up to the General Election. Online registration has made registering to vote more accessible than ever before with over three quarters of the 9.6 million applications to date under Individual Electoral Registration being made online. The Electoral Commission has published its analysis of the electoral registers used for elections on 7 May which shows that over 400,000 more entries were on these registers when compared to the last registers before IER, published in February/March 2014.

Recall of MPs Act 2015

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the secondary legislation for the Recall of MPs Act 2015 will be published and laid before both Houses of Parliament for debate.

Lord Bridges of Headley: We expect to lay regulations putting in place the detailed rules before both Houses when they return from summer recess.

Lobbying: Registration

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on implementing the Statutory Register of Lobbyists, including the numbers now registered, the budget, and the number of meetings recorded.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The statutory register of consultant lobbyists was opened by the independent Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists at the end of March and the outstanding provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying Act were commenced on 1 April 2015.There are currently 84 registered businesses. Consultant Lobbyists will be prohibited from lobbying unless they have registered so we expect more to join during the course of the year. The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is engaged with the industry to ensure that those who are required to join the register are aware of their obligation to do so.The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists 2015/2016 business plan has been published on gov.uk. I have attached a copy for ease.Details about ministerial meetings are published separately on gov.uk. 



Business Plan 2015-2016
(PDF Document, 676.89 KB)

Department of Health

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Which? investigation that found that prospective NHS dental patients are being forced to pay a deposit before being allowed to book an appointment.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Patients may not be charged a deposit for National Health Service care. NHS dental charges are specified in regulations and may only be levied once a course of treatment has begun. Asking for a deposit or any other advance payment before the course of treatment has begun is a breach of contract. The Department expects NHS England, which is responsible for commissioning NHS dental services, to act appropriately where there is evidence that patients have been mischarged.